The key to success? Study skills

Walking into an exam unprepared, then having to sit through the entire period utterly stupefied, can be one of the most disheartening experiences a student might face.

“I just feel really anxious and disappointed, but mostly anxious, when I know I’ve messed up,” said Amelia O’Connor, a 2005 graduate of Nantucket High School and a junior at Colorado College. “It’s not worth dwelling on it, but I’ll definitely walk around feeling anxious for the day. Especially when it affects your final grade.”

Which is why effective studying is essential when executing that make-or-break test – effective being the key word. Not all types of studying may suit your learning style, said Kelly Whalen, a special education teacher at Nantucket High School.

“All students learn differently. Some students are visual learners, and others are audio learners. Figure out your learning style first of all. Even if it means you need to tape-record your teacher and listen to it back, that sometimes helps kids study,” she said.

O’Connor likes study groups so she can talk to people out loud about the material, preferably in a study lounge or her dorm room, as opposed to the library.

“If I’m in a science class, I go into my labs and actually do the research. But it depends on the class,” said O’Connor.

Studying for an English class is, in some ways, an entirely different process from studying for a math class, said Whalen, so it is important to have a general routine for any given test.

“English has more open-ended questions. For instance, if you know there are going to be short answers, think about all the possible questions your teacher could give, then write them out as if you’re taking the test. If you have all your details outlined in your head from the night before, it’s going to flow more freely. With math, go over every math assignment – homework, quizzes, tests – and do them over and over again. Most likely, it will be the same type of problem, just with different numbers,” said Whalen.

Mary Lentowski, a 2004 graduate of NHS and a senior at Boston College, uses flash cards when studying for science and math-based tests: The repetition and accessibility keeps the information locked in her head.

“I’m sort of visual when it comes to learning. As dorky as it is, I like flash cards. It means you can study everywhere,” she said. Once she has the proper materials, Lentowski retreats into seclusion during her study time. “For me, I have to totally remove myself from distractions, in the library or a study room, without my laptop.”

Instant messaging and the Internet tend to be popular methods of procrastination, she said. She added that music is another good way to block out any disturbances.

“I have to listen to music when I study. One of my classes was a history class, and my professor played this opera, ‘The Marriage of Figaro,’ because it had to do with what we were learning. I listened to it when I was studying and ended up doing really well on the exam. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, but it might have helped.”

Lentowski also advises to make sure you have everything you need when you venture to the library. “If you don’t have that one book you need, then you have to go back and get it. That can be another form of procrastination.”

Therefore, organization is important, not only when it comes time to study, but throughout the course, said Whalen.

“Get organized when you sit down to study. Have all your notes, have a reference book, have the Internet if you need it. And have a friend you can call and chat with about the material.”

Katie McInerney, a senior at NHS, keeps a binder for each individual class with her notes and rubrics. Then, at the end of the year, she combines everything into one binder so she can study it all together.

“It’s so convenient to have everything you need, because you never know what you’re going to need to study. Teachers are, well, they’re teachers. You know they’re going to bring something up from the beginning of class to throw you off,” she said.

McInerney said she usually studies at home at night because she has sports in the evening, which helps her structure her study time. Neither McInerney nor O’Connor pulls all-nighters (stays up all night to study for an exam) on a regular basis. After a certain hour, they said, the material won’t stick.

“The latest I’ve stayed up is probably 3 or 4 o’clock (a.m.),” said McInerney. O’Connor said, after two years of college, she has only pulled about four all-nighters, but only to finish a paper, not to cram for an exam the following day.

“It’s important to understand and keep up with the work,” said O’Connor. “You’re not going to have time before the test to re-learn everything. And oftentimes in science classes, you need to know the basics really well. If you study every night, it’s distributed more equally.”

It is important to get a good night’s rest before an exam, and to eat a healthy breakfast, said Whalen. Getting that extra hour’s rest is probably more helpful than memorizing the last bit of information.

“If you’re feeling overwhelmed and you’ve been studying for hours, then you look up and realize you’ve retained nothing, you need to take a break,” said Whalen. “Tell yourself you can do it, and take a deep breath. Tests are huge, but if you’re not a good test taker, there are definitely other ways to make up for it. If you’re there every day, paying attention, doing your homework, you’re going to do well.”

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